Anna Finds Storybrooke
by kadair
Summary: Like Emma at the beginning of season one, Anna does not believe that fairytales really exist, nor does she know that she is one of them. She is in for a lot of surprises now that she is in Storybrooke.


**This chapter takes place during season four, episode one.**

Anna belted "Life is a Highway" at the top of her lungs and refused to look at her gas gauge. Maybe if she didn't acknowledge its existence, she wouldn't run out of fuel. According to her GPS, she was not going to find a station anytime soon. All she could see was an expansive forest and millions of stars. When one shot across the sky, she wished aloud, "Please let me find civilization soon."

And then she saw her salvation in the form of a road sign. She crossed the border into Storybrooke – a town that her GPS didn't realize existed. "That was lucky," Anna said and then yawned. She'd been so busy worrying about running out of gas that she hadn't realized how tired she was.

Anna blindly dug through her purse for her phone and then asked Siri "look up Storybrooke hotels".

Siri responded, "I don't know what you mean by 'Storybrooke hotels'. How about a web search for it?"

"Useless," Anna mumbled and tossed her phone into the passenger seat.

Anna was one month into her grand Eastern coast adventure. It was a present to herself for her eighteenth birthday. It was also her chance to figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. The logical thing was to go to college, but something was holding her back. Life was meant to be lived, and so far she'd only existed inside her parents' mansion. She'd been like a princess stuck in a castle. Anna knew that made her sound spoiled, but despite the privileged life she'd been born into, all she ever really wanted was to stop being alone. Being an only child of parents who were never home had been isolating to say the least. Now that she was eighteen, they couldn't force her to stay hidden anymore.

More and more houses began to appear, and the moment Anna saw Main Street she fell in love. Even in the dark, she could tell the town had charm. It was nothing like the big city she'd grown up in. The light of the clock tower drew her attention. It was eight-fifteen.

"Ah!" someone shouted.

Anna slammed on the breaks just in time. Cowering in front of her car was a middle-aged, redheaded man. He had an umbrella in his hand and was holding it in front of him in an attempt to shield him from her sedan. Anna quickly put the car into park.

"I'm so sorry!" she said and rushed over to him. "Are you hurt?"

"No, nope, I'm fine," he said and let her help him up. "Thank you for stopping. I thought I was a goner for a second there."

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Me too." Anna couldn't help but notice that he had a smile that covered his whole face. He seemed very nice for someone she had almost run over. "I'm Jiminy," he said and shook her hand.

"Your name's Jiminy?" she asked. "Like Jiminy Cricket?"

Jiminy made a little bow. "One and the same."

Anna laughed. "Sorry. I'm sure you've heard that one before. Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for a place to stay."

Jiminy pointed down the street. "Go a little further and Granny's Bed and Breakfast will be on your left. Tell Granny that I sent you."

"I'll do that," Anna said. She watched the nice man get safely to the sidewalk before she got back into her car. "You have got to be more careful," she said to herself and cautiously put the car back into drive.

Granny's wasn't hard to spot. It looked like a diner was attached to it, and there were a number of people standing outside. Anna stepped out of her car stopped when she heard one of the women shout, "She's a monster!" For a moment it looked like a physical fight was going to break out between two of the ladies, but then one of them stormed away.

A woman with long blonde hair looked like she was going to go after her, but a man stopped her.

Anna really hoped no one saw her watching. That would be awkward. Thankfully, the crowd in front of the diner quickly dispersed after the woman's outburst, and no one seemed to notice her standing across the street. After they left she was suddenly aware of how cold it had gotten. Anna shivered and walked inside the inn.

"Can I help you?" a young woman asked. She was wearing worn jeans, a plaid red shirt, and red heels. Anna could appreciate the irony of the combination.

"I take it you're not Granny," Anna said.

The young woman laughed. "And she'll be the first to tell you. I'm her granddaughter, Red. Are you looking for a room?"

"Yes, please," Anna said.

"There are so many new people here now that we only have one room left, but it's yours if you need a place to stay."

"Thanks," Anna said. She reached into her purse and pulled out her credit card. "How much?"

Red stared at the card in confusion. "I didn't realize that any of you newbies had plastic yet. Don't worry. It's free while you find a place to live."

"What is she talking about?" Anna wondered. "Was there some kind of catastrophe that had created refugees in Maine?"

Not wanting to seem ignorant Anna smiled and said, "No, please, take it. I have plenty of money." It was true. What her parents had lacked in attention, they had more compensated for in her trust fund.

Red shrugged and took her card. "Don't let Granny hear you say that. She might just charge you double." She handed the card back to her along with an old-fashioned key. If the inn was going for rustic, it had certainly achieved it. "It's nice to meet you…" Red looked at the receipt, "…Anna." She mispronounced her name.

"Actually, it's like 'Hannah' without the 'H'," she said.

"Oops, sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. It happens all the time. Good night, Red."

"Good night, and welcome to Storybrooke. If you have any problems figuring out the modern technology, let me know. Remember, we use a light switches around here not candles."

"Ha! Funny," Anna said and started up the stairs. "I hope this means you have indoor plumbing."

"Yes," Red said wistfully, "isn't it wonderful?"

Anna chuckled. What a strange little town. Maybe she'd stay longer than a couple of nights.


End file.
